Within 48 hours of Sri Lanka series, India’s top players summoned for…

India’s top centrally-contracted cricketers reported at Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru on Saturday for fitness test ahead of the fresh home season, less than 48 hours after completion of a gruelling two-Test away series against Sri Lanka.

Having been at a stretch on the field for three days, it was impressive to see some of the Test team regulars marking their pre-season fitness parameters ahead of what will be a gruelling eight-month period concluding with 2027 Indian Premier League.

The likes of senior all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, keeper-batter Rishabh Pant, opener Yashasvi Jaiswal were seen sweating it out along with T20I skipper Shreyas Iyer, shortest format specialists Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson and Chennai Super Kings skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad among others. zeppelin.cool

The mandatory fitness tests include ‘Bronco Test’, 2k run, YoYo test and some of the cricket-specific drills like running between the wickets.

Bronco Test is a fitness marker where cones are placed at starting point (0m), 20m, 40m and 60m. Players have to run from 0 to 20m and back, repeating with 40m and 60m without a break for five sets.

In all, a 1200m distance is expected to be covered in five-and-a-half minutes.

The YoYo test marker for long has been 16.5 while 2k run (2000m) needs to be completed within 10 minutes.

However, the likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Hardik Pandya, Nitish Kr Reddy will appear for these fitness drills only when they are declared fully fit.

They are undergoing rehabilitation. Fast bowlers such as Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna are exempted for the time being as they bowled extensively in back-to-back Tests in Sri Lanka.

Meanwhile, Prince Yadav, who sustained a hamstring niggle during India’s Tour of UK is now fit and available for selection.

BCCI’s home season, known as ‘India Cricket’, commences every September and this year it will begin with an “away series at home” against Afghanistan in a three-match T20I series in New Delhi.

It would be followed by first-choice T20 team going to Japan for the Asian Games while another set of white ball experts will play against the West Indies in a home series at the same time.

Also, there will also be a India A series against Australia A at Puducherry from last week of September to second week of October.

Taking a deep dive into the history of the Duleep Trophy: The Duleep Trophy has always had a knack for producing memorable contests. In the 1987 final, Raman Lamba smashed a game-breaking 320 as North Zone piled up a gargantuan 868 in response to West Zone’s 444 to win the title. Around four years later, Sachin Tendulkar, the teenage sensation, composed a brilliant 159 for West Zone, while Sourav Ganguly himself scored a valiant hundred for East Zone. Eventually, West Zone came out on top. In the 2004-05 tournament, when South Zone locked horns with West Zone, South had Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman, Anil Kumble, L Balaji and Vinay Kumar in their ranks. West, meanwhile, had Tendulkar, Ajit Agarkar, Wasim Jaffer, Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan.

That match is fondly remembered for Kumble castling Tendulkar. For fans from a bygone era, it could instead be about B Chandrasekhar combining with Erapalli Prasanna to take all 20 wickets against Central Zone in 1965. More recently, in 2024, when the teams were divided into India A, India B, India C and India D, the cricket cognoscenti were glued to the action. India A took on India C in a crucial encounter, with Sai Sudharsan cracking a gallant hundred while Baba Indrajith walked out to bat despite carrying an injury, only to be dismissed by Prasidh Krishna. The result was a thrilling win for India A as they lifted the trophy.

The matches mentioned above say enough about the quality of the Duleep Trophy. When some of the best players in the country take on each other, it often leads to classic encounters. This time around, North Zone will take on South Zone, while defending champions Central Zone will meet East Zone in the other semifinal. Let’s delve deeper into both games.

South Zone vs North Zone

The match will be played at the Centre of Excellence Ground 2. On paper, North Zone appear to have a clear upper hand. For a moment, just think about North’s pace attack: Arshdeep Singh, Gurnoor Brar, Anshul Kamboj, Yudhvir Singh and the effective Sunil Kumar. With the tall, hit-the-deck bowler Gurnoor added to the squad, North have the resources to put a batting unit under serious pressure. Abid Mushtaq’s left-arm spin adds further variety to the attack. Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad and Co. will be the mainstays of the batting unit.

North also overcame West Zone in a hard-fought quarterfinal, and that result would have boosted their confidence. There was some controversy surrounding Yash Dhull being picked ahead of the in-form Sanat Sangwan for that game. With Dhull failing to make a significant contribution in the last-eight clash, there is a decent chance Sangwan could come into the XI against South.

Meanwhile, with the Karnataka trio of KL Rahul, Prasidh Krishna and Devdutt Padikkal not playing — all three have just returned to India after featuring in both Tests in Sri Lanka — South Zone appear to be a depleted side.

Among the batters, R Smaran is someone to keep an eye on. The left-hander has an unflappable temperament and could be important at the top of the order. Tilak Varma will lead the side, while Karun Nair, Vidwath Kaverappa and Shreyas Gopal will also be expected to put in strong performances. Also watch out for Tripurana Vijay, a promising off-spinner.

East Zone vs Central Zone

East Zone reached the semifinals after trouncing North-East Zone and will now take on Central Zone in a last-four clash. Rajat Patidar, the seasoned campaigner, is leading a Central Zone squad that comprises Yash Rathod, Rinku Singh, Arshad Khan, Zeeshan Ansari, Yash Thakur and Harsh Dubey. On the other side, most of the eyeballs will be on 15-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi in East Zone’s squad. The youngster will be hoping to make his mark in first-class cricket after scoring just eight runs against North-East Zone.

Abhimanyu Easwaran, Mukesh Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed, veteran Mohammed Shami and Kumar Kushagra will also be hoping to show their wares. On paper, the second semifinal, to be played at CoE Ground 1, could be a contest between two evenly matched sides.

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Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) have announced that the franchise will retire Dwayne Bravo’s iconic No. 47 jersey in recognition of his extraordinary contribution to the team, the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), and cricket in Trinidad & Tobago.

The decision makes Bravo the first player in CPL history to have his jersey number retired, a fitting honour for a player whose name has become synonymous with both the tournament and the Trinbago Knight Riders.

Bravo is the most decorated player in CPL history, having won five CPL titles as a player and added a sixth championship as TKR head coach. Across his illustrious CPL playing career, Bravo featured in 107 matches and claimed 129 wickets, finishing as the tournament’s all-time leading wicket-taker.

He was a central figure in TKR’s championship-winning campaigns and played a defining role in establishing the franchise as the CPL’s most successful team.

Bravo retired from playing cricket in 2024, bringing the curtain down on an exceptional career that saw him become one of the most influential all-rounders in T20 cricket. He subsequently took on the role of head coach of his beloved Trinbago Knight Riders, continuing his association with the franchise from the dugout.

Making the announcement, Venky Mysore, CEO of the Knight Riders group, said: “Dwayne Bravo’s contribution to the Knight Riders and to the CPL is impossible to measure. Retiring No. 47 is our way of ensuring that his legacy will forever be a part of this franchise. There could be no more fitting player to become the first in CPL history to receive this honour.”

The No. 47 jersey will now stand as a permanent symbol of Bravo’s remarkable journey with the Knight Riders — from champion player to champion coach, and ultimately, an enduring part of the franchise’s history.

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